This invention relates to a medical device such as an adapter that is field assembled, as during or following surgery or child birth, on the proximal end of a catheter, such as an epidural catheter used during child birth. An adapter of this general type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,744, which issued Feb. 8, 1977 to the assignee of this application. The adapter of the foregoing patent is characterized by a pair of clamping jaws which are adapted to be clampingly closed upon a length of flexible tubing mounted in the adapter and into one end of which the proximal end of a catheter has been inserted whereupon the flexible tubing is sealingly compressed about the catheter, the tubing also being in communication at its opposite end with a luer tapered sleeve provided on the adapter.
The adapter of the foregoing patent provides a very effective sealed connection thereof to the proximal end of a catheter and which, because of its novel simplicity, is easily field assembled thereto. Such adapters are often pinned or clipped to a patients hospital gown. The only problem of any consequence encountered during use of the catheter adapter of the foregoing patent is that, on occasion, a patient's movements, or some other cause, may result in a very strong pulling or separation force being applied to the catheter and disconnection of the catheter from the adapter. Moreover, this phenomenon is common to all types of field assembled adapters. Such disconnection risks contamination to the patient and presents a nuisance to the hospital staff. Applicant's improved catheter adapter and retainer overcomes this very critical problem by providing a novel supplementary retention means on the adapter.